I used to be a serious weightlifter ... not competitive, just fiercely enthusiastic and serious, always pushing myself to my limits. People laughed at my claim that the high it produced ranked right up there with the orgasm. Strangely, I also enjoyed a sort of masochism associated with the physical pain of muscle soreness ... I'd look in the mirror, relishing the self-imposed physical pain that drowned out the immeasurable emotional suffering.

Though there was definitely a lot of ego identification going on, it also, at the same time, far transcended anything as vain as looking good for the women, and I sensed that there was something far deeper and more essential going on, but couldn't quite put my finger on what that was. It was my (only) way of feeling alive, for about two hours daily. Like those who take antidepressant meds can appreciate, I couldn't stay away from the gym for a single day, because that meant missing a dose of the only medicine that worked.

In a sentence, weightlifting was the love of my life. And, mind you, that love started long before I heard of Eckhart Tolle.

Today, I have a deeper appreciation for what weightlifting did for me. It brought me into intense presence ... you can't be thinking about your problems with a 200 lb barbell hovering over your chest, or sprinting at 12 mph on a treadmill. I'm not talking about someone walking on a treadmill while texting on their cell phones or watching some TV show, which is the definition of *unconsciousness* ... I'm talking about real exercise and someone who's "in the zone".

Anyone else felt this way about intense exercise ? That it served as a portal into the formless ?

Hi PB,
I also love to exercise. Mainly endurance running and yoga. And yes, it has a very beneficial effect on the mind. It results in a sattvic mind (calm, relaxed)--or presence as you say. Very useful for self-enquiry and assimilation. It's one vasana (desire), I don't intend to give up .

runstrails wrote:Hi PB,
I also love to exercise. Mainly endurance running and yoga. And yes, it has a very beneficial effect on the mind. It results in a sattvic mind (calm, relaxed)--or presence as you say. Very useful for self-enquiry and assimilation. It's one vasana (desire), I don't intend to give up .

Thanks for sharing that, runstrails ! I can tell how much you love to run trails

I had a wonderful experience during strenuous exercise. I had read The Power of Now, and was thinking about how it would be a great meditation to listen to the audio book while doing strenuous cardio on the elliptical. As I listened with attention, the first thing I began to notice was that the exercise seemed effortless. I was aware of my body's thumping heartbeat, but without judgement coming from the mind, it just was. I was too way too involved with keeping my rhythm and feeling my body as I began to peel back the onion and the mind was given no time. And about then, BAM! With a thunderclap, I was awake. Every word from the book was instantly seared into my consciousness. It just all made perfect sense. I completed my workout and basked in a very heightened state of presence for a couple of hours. Since then, I'm forever changed. The state passed, but I work on getting back there with all the presence that I can bring. Just like exercise, the more you do it, the better you get. Moments of clarity and oneness are increasing.

While I still use this technique, I no longer need the book. I now use the time to apply what I leaned in the book, what I Now KNOW to the core. And exercise just opened one door, that is not enough..... I need more. And so I workout on those doors (like a heavy bag at the gym), but I can do it anywhere, all the time. I have to be in my Mind to forge and hammer my new Mind into an organism born of My Conscious Choosing. Thus, day by day improvements in my Mind are My Reality.

Weight lifting is my new favorite exercise..... I just do it with my Mind!